Luxembourg's migratory population

Nearly two thirds of Luxembourg residents have a migratory background, a study has found.

09.04.2013

Nearly two thirds of Luxembourg residents have a migratory background, a study has found.

Migration is not new to Luxembourg, given the large proportion of citizens who emigrated abroad in past centuries.

But, today, the migratory patterns have reversed with the majority of the Luxembourg population made up of people who were either born abroad or born in Luxembourg to non-Luxembourg national parents.

The STATEC 2011 census results on migration in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg which were published on Tuesday confirm this trend, revealing that just 38.8 percent of residents were born in the country to Luxembourgish parents.

The background for the remaining 61.2 percent of residents varied:

32 percent of foreign nationals were born abroad to parents who were non-Luxembourg nationals.

Just under a tenth of the population (8.5 percent) of foreign nationality was born in Luxembourg to parents who were non-Luxembourg nationals, half of which were Portuguese residents

Luxembourg nationals born in Luxembourg to foreign national parents accounted for 4.6 percent

Luxembourg nationals who were born abroad to foreign national parents represented 4.3 percent.

Across all the migratory groups, 168 nationalities were represented, the study found. And, of the ten most common foreign nationality groups found in Luxembourg, nine were from EU states. See the spread as follows:

Portuguese 16.1 percent

French 6.1 percent

Italians 3.5 percent

Belgians 3.3 percent

Germans 2.3 percent

Britons 1.1 percent

Dutch 0.8 percent

Spanish 0.7 percent

Poles 0-5 percent

Residents deriving from Montenegro accounted for the largest non-EU migration group representing 0.7 percent of the population.

The STATEC report suggests that the census results are not sufficient to make a full analysis of international migratory patterns by Luxembourg residents.